Houston man accused of pointing gun at electric utility worker
HOUSTON - A man is accused of pointing a gun at an electric utility worker in Houston on Saturday morning, as officials continue to warn against violent acts against crews working to restore power after Hurricane Beryl.
Anthony Aloric Leonard, 38, faces an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.
Anthony Aloric Leonard is charged with aggravated assault on Wilcrest Drive. (Photo: Houston Police Department)
According to police, officers responded to the call in the 1900 block of Wilcrest Drive around 8:40 a.m.
The man reportedly pointed a gun at the out-of-state worker and then fled on foot.
Police say the suspect was arrested soon after.
Violence against utility workers
This is not the first gun-related incident involving utility workers as efforts continue to restore widespread power outages to the Houston area after Hurricane Beryl.
TRACKER: More than half a million people without power across Houston area
Earlier this week, Needville police said a man was arrested for allegedly firing an airsoft weapon in the direction of a CenterPoint Energy worker. Police said he was arrested for terroristic threat and deadly conduct. No injuries were reported.
In a statement, CenterPoint Energy said, "Unfortunately, we have seen increasing incidents of violence against our crews, at substations, and with our mobile generation crews. We continue to reach out to government official and law enforcement for their help – and they are helping – and we ask all our communities and their leaders to help keep safe the men and women who are away from their own families so they can turn the lights and AC on for everyone else’s."
Houston Mayor John Whitmire also addressed the issue, urging Houstonians to support utility workers.
"The chief and I have assured the lineman, the utility workers, that they’ll be safe in the City of Houston. I would ask Houstonians to respect the work these linemen are doing," Whitmire said.